Chapter 22:The Bonds That Heal

The muffles, the struggles, the panic he felt as blurry vision opened from the blackness. With it came pain that pulsed through his whole body, much of it burned in so many patterns. So many cuts he recalled taking, before Asher had escaped the mountain, and fell unconscious into a pond. From there everything was a blur. From the moment he was pulled out of the cold water, to the muffled yelling of the one who carried him over the shoulder.

"Good god…! He's bleeding everywhere…! They must have fought like wild hounds in that mine."The voice was hard to recognize through the muffles, but it felt like Hunter.

"Why was he even in there?! Why did he lead them in there if this was going to happen?"As muffled as the next voice was, it was easy to tell who it was.

"We'll ask, if he manages to survive the night. For now we need to focus,Sparx,"The other voice stopped the questions,"We don't know how long that cave in will contain the Alphas, we need to build as much distance as possible!"

"Where to then?"Sparx asked, before he was suddenly in Asher's face.

"I… I suppose we should make for the Tall Plains. The villagers there still see you and Spyro as idols,"The voice came in slightly more clear, and it definitely was Hunter,"They might take us in, and they can protect us until Asher recovers…!"

The dragon struggled, his vision threatening to fade to black as he forced a growl. Only then could Sparx notice that Asher's eyes were barely opened, and looking right at him. This was further proven when he gripped at Hunter's cape to try staying conscious.

"Hey, he's awake! Barely…! Hey, hey! Can you hear us?!"Sparx tried to call out to the dragon.

It was certainly a nice attempt, Sparx's voice would easily wake anyone up. But his vision faded to black, and it faded with one last cold twinge of fear in his chest, the fear of death.

'I'm sorry…'The voice of Thoranos suddenly sounded in his head.

He saw nothing, Sparx's voice had started to panic before it too had vanished from consciousness. This must have been death, or at least purgatory, where his body was preparing to die. A minute felt like an hour, nothing but darkness and silence to fill him with the cold fear. He hoped for forgiveness, failing to reach Cynder before his foes ended him. The wait continued on and on, it was almost too much to bear.

'I didn't really want this…'Suddenly the voice of Thoranos sounded off again.

Before he then knew it, Thoranos appeared before him, laying flat against the floor with the very same wounds that took his life. Asher rushed to him and knelt down to lift up the head of his recently deceased friend. His breath shuttered and his head slowly lowered along with his heart that grew heavy.

"Neither did I… Freedom and family… That is all I wanted…"Asher admitted, his tone somber, but his face remained firm.

"Family...is one thing… Freedom...will always come...at a cost…!"He gagged out his words, and was dead once more.

His body fading away to darkness the moment he laid peacefully, sleeping for eternity. Asher sighed, and lowered his head, embracing the moment he felt would be his last bit of life in this world. But then a light appeared, shimmering, glowing, spreading like red wine across white silk. Everything became shrouded in bright white, while the floor under him turned cold and solid.

Then in a sudden blast of wind and snow of all things, Asher's world took shape. He found himself on a glacier, just half a mile from a large land of ice and snow. Littered with the remains of towers, fences and defenses from the times of Malefor's darkness. The glacier casually floated, moving towards the icy mainland, the silence ominously remained. Until he finally arrived on the mainland, the glacier crashing against the icy stone and rumbled like a ferocious beast.

Asher slowly stepped off the glacier, and stood upon the icy stones of the mainland. While the glacier started to drift away like an old dream that was meant to be forgotten.

"Your search appears to have yielded very little so far. Yet you have already suffered greatly,"He knew that voice anywhere, the voice from his previous dreams,"Perhaps I could aid in this search… After all… I too was visited by Spyro and Cynder on their travels."

"Bet that was uplifting after the mess Spyro almost made of himself in the Burning Lands,"Asher admitted as he walked forward through the snowy landscape,"What is it that you really need me to come to this ice box for, Ignitus?"

His answer was partially answered as his body was forced deep into the snowy land. Through snowy trees and broken pieces of siege weapons and towers. Even the bones of old foes littered the snow as the force pulled the black dragon to the mouth of a cave.

"Recover your strength… And come to me…! There's more you need to know…!"The old dragon's voice whispered on the growing wind.

The cave erupted with a blinding white light, much like the one that made this dreamland. It blinded him like a spotted torch light, his eyes were forced to close. Giving away to darkness that grew around him as if he was then suddenly falling asleep once more.

Just before his eyes suddenly began to open once more, and as they opened, pain shot through his body. His eyes squinted to resist the pain, as they caught a glimpse of a star filled night sky. His right arm could barely lift up to grasp around the belly as he cringed from pain. It burned, the stomach alone suffered through several cuts, they were mildly deep, but his organs seem to have been spared. But his movement was not, he couldn't even sit up from the cold grass.

He grunted, the grunt alone was painful to do, so a bruised lung was possible. Asher looked around, and saw his body covered in Hunter's cape. Next to him was a fire that helped keep both him and the cape warm, a good combatant for the cold grass. But nothing was beating the stink of his own sweat and old blood that caked his body. It was almost enough to make him gag, but right now, he needed to count his blessings for this one.

From what he could see so far, Hunter and Sparx were nowhere to be found. But he had slept for who knows how long, so he didn't risk falling asleep since he was alone. Then it occurred to him, his stomach had finally rumbled and alarmed him that he was hungry. He groaned, rolling his eyes before they searched for something to eat. Sadly there was nothing, so this recovery was shaping up to be a painful one.

Then the relief he was hoping for, the relief he didn't expect to even call...relief. Sparx's constant chattering voice was starting to approach, and slowly Hunter's started to follow. He turned his head away, pretending to be asleep, as hungry as he was, they just saved his neck from the Alphas. So the last thing he needed was to bother them, unless they wanted to bother him.

"Good hunting… It's about time we got a break. Chaos in the forests, mercenaries destroying half of the swamp and the mountain,"Sparx ranted while Hunter carried two boars on his back,"And this mad dragon running off and getting hunted till he looks like a stuck version of the boars…!"

"I used what supplies I could to stop the bleeding… All we can do is wait and pray to the ancestors,"Hunter responded and sat the boars down by the fire,"What could have possibly provoked him to run and reveal himself to the Alphas…?"

He pondered this as he began to skin the boar with an old knife of his. This kept his mind busy, while Sparx was about to sit down in the grass to relax. Only to notice the small breathing, as well as the tiniest movement Asher made with his cheek when trying to frown.

"How about we just ask him now?"Sparx raised his voice to give Asher a jump scare.

The tiny jump revealed him to be alive and awake, as Hunter looked up from his skinning.

"You're awake. We feared the worse when we pulled you from the pond."Hunter offered personal worry and friendliness to the dragon.

"Yeah,you know how much I struggled to help Hunter fish you out of the-"Sparx was cut off by Hunter's chuckles.

Thanks to Asher raising a middle claw over his neck subtly to show it to Sparx. For he knew very well Sparx had nothing to do with pulling him out of the water.

"What…? Oh alright, very classy. Up yours too…!"Sparx ranted after seeing the middle claw raised, Hunter's chuckles turned to laughs.

"Hey… I tried to put in a good word for you…!"Hunter admitted his kind gesture to Sparx.

"Right… You mind explaining what the hell happened last night,"Sparx needed to ask about the events Asher endured before the rescue,"We wake up to explosions and fire in the swamp and giant burly Mercs chasing you to a mountain. We followed and waited till they were gone, ready to go in until-"

"Until we found a note warning us not to enter and to wait outside,"Hunter explained while doing a quick sharpening session with his knife,"Whoever wrote it seems to have had faith that you'd escape, and we'd be there to save you…"

"Was it attached to an arrow…?"Asher was very quiet and barely able to ask the question.

"Yes…"Hunter replied and looked back to the note.

Asher nodded, and went quiet while Hunter put the note away and got back to the boar meat. But Sparx was not pleased with Asher avoiding his questions. So he decided to push the questions while Hunter stayed quiet and butchered the meat for dinner.

"Hey…! You didn't answer my question. Why did you leave? You could have been killed,"Sparx sounded like an angry dad as the questions continued,"Why did you give yourself away? Why did you almost trap yourself in the mountain?"

"Don't worry about it…"Asher mumbled, annoyed at the incoming lecture.

"I am going to worry about it because you almost died back there! They had you trapped like a rat, and look what they did to you,"Sparx lectured just as the dragon predicted he would,"Why are you so careless?! Do you not care if you wind up dead before you reach your sister?!"

Asher turned his head away to look at the sky, hoping to ignore the nagging.

"Hey! Can you listen for once in your damn life!?"Sparx suddenly yelled, Hunter and Asher were spooked by it.

Sparx even tried to push at Asher's shoulder, he didn't move it, but it got his attention. As he turned back to the dragonfly, shocked by his sudden aggressive yet mature approach.

"What would I have to say to your sister if you had died back there?! What were you thinking,"Sparx demanded answers, this was no time for games anymore,"Give us something! What were you thinking?!"

A deep heated breath escaped the dragon's nose and lips, his bottom one even trembled. He had anger building in him, but his body was too damaged for any serious aggression. Feeling cornered and half shamed by someone that was the size of the dumps he took hurt his pride. Then he sighed, there was no fighting with Sparx in this state anymore.

"Fine… You wanna know what I was doing…? I was leading those bastards away from your home!"Asher finally came out, and admitted his conscious decision.

All had then finally gone quiet, Sparx was angry at first, but then his face slowly dropped. This dragon who seemed to only care for himself just admitted to doing something...heroic. It was reckless, but it was something that Spyro would have done in a heartbeat, regardless of the risk.

"They got there in the middle of the night! Felious must have...pushed...the guys harder than normal,"His lungs started to hurt as he explained himself,"I already explained...what they're...capable of…!"

"They would have tortured and burned the village to the ground, and we would have been killed in our sleep…"Hunter realized the more likely outcome if Asher didn't do what he did.

"Yeah…"It was then that Thoranos came to Asher's mind.

Push came to shove, and Asher was willing to kill his old comrade in cold blood. He looked into his friend's eyes as he tore out Thoranos's neck and watched him die. His face grew solem, as Sparx also grew soft and full of regret for his harsh words after what the dragon did. His arms even dropped, not knowing whether to be grateful or just sorry for what unfolded.

"I...even killed Thoronos… My friend... The grunts...didn't mean a thing to me, but,"He paused, his heart grew heavy for the last moment he shared with Thoranos,"Thoranos… He was...family… And…"

The silence took hold again, whether it was his heart or his bruised lungs. He could say no more, and he gazed at the night sky as the crickets sounded off around them. Distant frogs chirping in small watering holes offering calming songs to ease his heavy heart.

Hunter nodded, there was nothing more that needed to be said about the subject. They had a close call, and Asher went through hell to do a very good deed for his new comrades. So he started cooking the boars, while Asher was given a little bit of peace.

But not before he then noticed the cloak that covered him being slowly pulled up to his neck. It offered more comfort and warmth alongside the fire, curiosity struck, and his eyes turned to Sparx. Who was realized to be the one covering him up more so.

"Thank you…"Sparx's tone was quiet, but sincere.

It was like a small weight had suddenly lifted off Asher's heart, hearing an act of sincere gratitude. It was unheard of to him, he didn't know what to say to it. So he gave a subtle nod, allowing the dragonfly to go sit by Hunter to help prepare dinner quietly.

"I'm...sorry... "Whether he meant that to Thoranos or his new comrades for his actions, even he did not know.

The night was nearly restless, they simply ate and took turns trying to sleep while one kept watch. They had a serious trek awaiting them, and they needed to carefully carry a wounded dragon. While their enemy could easily free themselves before dawn and hunt them once more. Thankfully, fate had a way of awarding those who face the challenges it casts before them.

That very dawn eventually came, and back at the mountain, the finally emerged. After several explosions that rumbled the mountain like a trembling leaf. The sunrise illuminated a sudden blast of fire, smoke, and stones that blew out the cave in tunnel Asher had made before. Within seconds, yelling was heard as mercenaries rushed out to meet the fresh air. Only for just about all of them to collapse in exhaustion and weariness, they never stopped working to escape the mountain.

Brutis was one of the few to stay standing, but his breath was short. As was Leo and Swifter, and then there was Felious, unmoved and the last to exit the cave. His green eyes glinting through the smoke and dust as he looked around to his crew. So many tired and weary from the tunneling and heavy lifting to just reopen the path to freedom. But he only wished to look onward to the trail that Asher left behind, the blood spots that trailed out of the pond.

"Felious…!"Swifter called from behind, hoping for assistance.

For they now had Thoranos's body clinging around their necks till they were clear of the rubble. They then laid their fallen friend down at Felious's feet.

"We should offer a proper burial… He did what he could…"Swifter insisted that respects should be paid.

"No… He knew the price for such a failure, his only respects will be paid with Asher's blood,"Felious denied the notion of respecting a fallen warrior,"Asher and his companions will not make it far in his current condition!"

Regardless of the stroke of animosity that dared to spark within Swifter. Felious paid it no mind as he tried to get his mercs up and on the hunt once more.

"We can't go any further Felious! We haven't rested in days,"The surviving grunt yelled after finally catching his breath,"We're asking for an early grave if we don't get a good breather!"

"He's right… We should rest for the day, Felious,"Leo placed a hand to his leader's shoulder,"They won't get far in their current condition. Why make our warriors fight on fumes and shaky hands when we can attack at full strength another day?"

Felious growled and turned his furrowed gaze to Leo, giving the archer a proper look into those green unfamiliar eyes. Leo felt a chill creep across his chest, but he remained firm and composed. His grip was now like a vice on Felious's shoulder to show bravery, something the true Felious would admire. And thankfully, the green eyes disappeared, and a smirk grew on the tiger's face.

"Very well… Live and recover to fight another day. That is the plan!"Felious announced, and the rest of the crew dropped to their knees.

"I'll need a moment, then I will collect our firewood…!"Brutis offered to be the firewood collector.

"And I'll hunt the food. This area smells of boars…!"Leo cleared his throat and immediately stood back up.

"Very well… I will assist you with the hunt,"Felious was oddly quick to be Leo's partner for the job,"Swifter, aid our doctor with those who are injured until we return with dinner!"

"Yes sir…!"Swifter swallowed his lingering animosity if it meant helping the crew.

This left the two to leave the crew and venture into the next section of forestry. Traveling back into the wild after just leaving the swamps not too long ago, a significant risk. They too were tired and covered in some minor injuries, they were entirely vulnerable to anything.

But that couldn't mean any less to Felious, another matter was on his mind. And as they finished into the trees, he slowly grabbed at the necklace's gem. His eyes glimmering with green as a soft growl passed his lips and the gem itself.

"Did you find anything…?"Felious attempted to quietly ask the gem.

"Yes… Though it was far from easy to move in a smoke form,"A growl answered Felious as the gem glowed bright,"Stretching myself that far to explore the mountain and its surroundings was rather...painful…! But I found it…!"

With that, the glowing green of the gem swirled with a cloud of black and with it came what he suspected. A partially broken arrow for a bow, and as it unsheathed like a sword from the sheath. With it came the note connected to it, and some concrete evidence of even more deception. Felious was quiet as he received the arrow, and read the note. And it confirmed everything, as his eyes darted and glared upon the back of Leo, a traitor in his eyes.

"Bastard…"Felious growled under his breath.

"Your comrade is aiding the group. That confirms his hesitation… His doubt...and the weapon he gave your dragon,"Malefor grumbled as they began to jog through the forest,"You will have to kill him… Or he will be a parasite… Consuming you slowly like a lethal plague…!"

"I know… It will be done…"Felious promised as Leo stopped them for a moment.

"Tracks here… Leading fifty yards east…"Leo quickly relayed the start of the hunt.

"Boar?"Felious asked.

"Deer… Leaner meat has the better energy…"

"How big…?"Felious gripped a small knife at his left side.

"Ten pointer… Should be enough for the crew."Leo then quietly moved on with his leader on his tail.

"Good…!"Felious followed and offered hollow encouragement.

They moved onward, tracking their prey, while Felious prepared to assassinate his own prey. His glimmering eyes swirling with hate after learning the truth of betrayal. In front of him was a traitor, and he was acting completely nonchalant, as if he were not aware of his actions. This could not stand, and the more they moved, the more the urge to kill grew. Then after ten minutes of stalking the prey, they found it in a clearing resting under a tree.

The impressive ten point buck resting under the tree, gazing at the stars with weary eyes. Leo could see the weariness in the prey's eyes, a perfectly vulnerable quarry. Leo let out a deep breath, it steadied his paw as he drew out an arrow and drew it to his bow. Pulling back slow and strong, his breathing steadied as he took aim at the buck. As Felious took advantage of this directed focus and slowly pulled a small knife out, his eyes targeting Leo's back.

Leo let out another breath, his experience and lined up shot gave him a moment of peace. He readied to fire, the wind he heard whistling through the grass would carry his arrow true. His senses heightened to ensure a perfect shot to the heart and a clean kill. He could hear everything, even the tiniest of crickets, the wind, the howls of the wolves in the distance. The sudden unsheath of sharp metal leaving a holster, this sound was out of place.

With that sudden noise came a chill against his back, the wind was usually the cause. But this chill came with a small jolt of fear, something invoked by the sense...of danger. He gave a gasp, as he then heard a small growl, Leo reacted accordingly, turning around quickly. Just in time to block the knife with the center handle of his bow, his arrow firing into the sky as a result. Their strengths were now pinned against one another, Felious mad with blood lust and forcing the dagger into the bow.

"What..the hell are you...doing?!"Leo yelled as he felt his strength wavering to Felious's.

"You're a dead cat, Leo…!"Felious forced Leo back and against a rock.

Leo gave a couple kicks to the ribs, allowing some push back against the mad tiger. He even got a crack to the nose with the bow by simply shoving it forward. Felious growled by head butting Leo and knocking the both of them out of their hiding spot. The deer shrieked and ran for his life, as the two cats rolled and wrestled over life and death.

"Have you lost it?! What have I done...to deserve this…?!"Leo struggled,and saw cracks forming in his bow.

"I know about your little note to Asher's new friends, Leo. Do you think I'm blind or deaf,"Felious growled, slamming his weight down on the knife,"You gave Asher the weapon that nearly took my life, you inform his comrades and allowed them to wisp him away while we were trapped in the mountain!"

"What? I don't know what you're-"

"We found the note you left in the arrow…"Felious took out and showed the note with his free paw.

"We…?"Leo was confused by the choice of words.

As his bow suddenly cracked and started to give way, the tip of the blade threatened to pierce his chest.

"You have betrayed us…! And aided the treacherous dragon…!"A sudden new voice chilled Leo's heart, as Feliou's eyes glimmered with green.

"You're not, Felious…! What are you…?"Leo questioned on the verge of death.

"I am...the last thing you will ever see…!"That was his only response to the question.

With that, the final push came, and all of Felious's weight was used to break the bow. Leo was quick, and sacrificed the palm of his paw, letting the knife go through it. His screams of pain were awarded with grand salvation, as his arrow returned to the fight just in time. Plunging deep into Felious's back, invoking a simultaneous scream of both Felious, and the voice that possessed him. Leo was gradually released, and Leo fought through the chilling screams.

He headbutted Felious and tackled him to his back, this knocked a bit of wind out of the tiger. But another came forth, a great green spectral face growled as Leo pinned him. The face was that of a three horned dragon, baring the darkest green eyes he had ever seen. Through fear and pain, Leo swallowed all of it before using his good paw to start punching. Every fist was sharply thrown to the side of Felious's head, he yelled with each blow, throwing all the strength he could into his punches.

His paw wound oozing with blood as he kept on punching, the spectral dragon roared in defiance. But finally, Leo had bloodied his knuckles to deliver the knock out to the temple. Felious had felt the lights suddenly go out as blood sprayed from his mouth. With that, his face slapped against the ground, and he had twitched before going out cold.

"NO! I can't do anything if the cursed cat is...Noooooo!"The dragon specter suddenly vanished into Felious's body with a scream.

Leo groaned as he stumbled away and fell on his back, he immediately grabbed at his hands. The right one was busted from well over a dozen punches, and the other still had a knife in it. One that he quickly pulled out and tossed away before scrambling to his feet. He held his paws, and looked to his unconscious leader, his mind raced with the thought of nearly being killed by his own leader. And that dragon, the spectral dragon that revealed itself, such a chilling fear had not been invoked for over twenty years.

"You… You lost it…! You're not even all there..! What the hell are you?!"Leo yelled and backed away, as shouts came from the distance.

It had to be the other mercs, they must have heard the screaming and cries of the deer. Leo looked to his hands, and then backed to the leader he just knocked out. He already deduced what would happen if they witnessed this mess, and Felious already knew of his treachery.

"Couldn't just let it be for just a few more days… Now I actually have to play the good guy here,"Leo spoke in a low and mourning tone as he turned away,"Your pursuit will kill us all Felious, and I'm not sticking around to see it… I have better chances of surviving elsewhere…"

He looked down to the knife that stabbed him, and groaned before picking it back up. He put the blade in his belt and ran for his life, his heart rushed from the sudden sprint. As well as the impact of what he had done and what this all meant for him. He whimpered, holding his aching paws as he attempted to build as much distance as possible. He shook his head, this was now a fight for survival, and he needed to make it to the only people he felt he could trust.

He closed his eyes, as he heard his former comrades calling his name from behind. He shook his head and kept running, until he could no longer hear them calling. As he disappeared into the shadows of the night, a free cat, but also a wanted cat.

I know, it's been a while since I last updated or did anything for that matter, but among personal troubles. The whole pandemic made things much more complicated and I felt the need to take a much needed break from writing. I apologize for my absence and I am going to try to return to writing as best as I can, and I apologize for the short chapter here, we'll have a better and beefier chapter next time. Till then, stay awesome and if you have questions, feel free to pm me.